1988 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale Brougham 3.8L from North America

Summary:

A great first car, especially if you need to move more than 2 people around!

Faults:

The engine stalls periodically on the road, especially during stops at traffic lights where the car is idle.

The odometer has never worked since I got this car. It has been at 97642 and I've definitely put 5000-6000 km on the car going to and from school and work most days. The trip meter suffers from the same syndrome (the reset button does not work and the distance on that is 160.2 km since I've owned the car.

The parking brake rusted through and broke off.

The A/C and heat have never worked, although on a car this old it is understandable.

The right rear window does not go down on either window control and the door does not open with the power door feature.

The car has begun to rust and fade paint (acceptable due to car's age).

The driver's side rear view mirror controls do not work, and the mirrors shake during any type of wind whatsoever.

General Comments:

You might think that I might be terribly unhappy after reading through those, but I am not. This was my first car, given to me by a friend, and I would definitely fix it up if I had the time and the money to do so.

Mechanically, this car has never given me any problems (aside from the stalling and the parking brake).

The car has plenty of power for something it's size, and it's size makes me feel rather safe driving it.

The seats are extremely comfortable, I love the old-style full front row, and can seat 6 (great for the carpool I used for school).

The serious lack of power for the power windows and locks means that in cold weather those systems do not work.

Its almost a monthly requirement to replace windshield wipers on this car.

The most annoying thing about the car is that I could easily chop my hand off while putting gas in the car. The fuel intake is behind the rear license plate, requiring me to hold down the plate to refill it, and once I'm done it slams shut extremely quickly and the screws from the license plate can cut deep into your finger if you are not quick enough getting your hand out of there.

This car would easily perform and look like a newer car if I had the time and money to replace the dash, rebuild the engine, paint it, and work on the electrical system.

I would highly recommend this type of car to a first-time owner who runs a bit of a carpool because of its roomy interior which seats 6 comfortably, and the relatively good gas mileage for a car its size and age.

16th Nov 2004, 12:32

I'm not trying to flame here, but you need to check what year your Delta is. The '88 Delta 88's gas door is on the drivers side not behind the license plate. For that matter, after '87 none of the filler necks were located behind the license plate on any GM cars.